Her Hero
by toumeiillusion
Summary: (12 Shots of Summer) Little sisters are such doting things, aren't they?


Maria had always considered herself very lucky to have Arthur as a brother, even if there were other things she would have rather had him be to her. As a brother, she knew she could never truly lose him. He would always be there when she got hurt by a spiteful person or fell and scraped herself up. If her heart got broken, he would soothe all of the ache so she could stand tall and proud like they were meant to. When she needed to cry, he'd offer her a shoulder. When she couldn't find a reason to stay, he would give it to her. Like he promised her when they were just little things, he would always be her hero.

Arthur was all she needed to move on, Maria often thought, just like all the country needed was a Queen to carry on its affairs. As a human, she could accept it completely. Humans were allowed to be fragile and rely on one another if it came to it. They could need somebody. As a nation though, if something should happen to him, she would need to carry on as London, not part of a country but as a city on its own. She couldn't splinter or fray if she should, on the off chance, have to move on. As a nation, she couldn't be allowed to think like that. That fact made her love the moments when they were together even more than she had before. With him, with other nations, she was close enough to human.

_Salvation_, she thought as she looked over him, standing in the kitchen and making morning tea to help her wake up. _That's what he is to me, isn't it?_ She stretched and yawned loudly.

"Here you are, poppet," her brother muttered as he extended the delicate tea cup. She curled her fingers around the handle and smiled sweetly at him, giving her thanks quietly. The tea was warmed to just the perfect temperature for the morning and the smell of it, sweet from the two sugar cubes and strongly smelling of something wonderful like apples, woke her before she had even sipped at the red liquid. Maria melted into the couch and hummed.

"Arthur, you make the best tea." A light dusting of pink came across his face as she praised him. It was a trait of his she'd often considered cute. He settled into the corner chair and took to practicing his embroidery.

Maria took her first sip and looked around. Nothing was new, she knew that, but things looked different in the morning light. The simple pictures on the wall looked dimmer, the family portrait the hung on the far wall seemed to be a bit more faded than in really was, and the flowers she'd brought in from outside yesterday were starting to open up. Everything was ready for a new day, which reminded her that she needed to be.

"There isn't a meeting today. Is there anything you would like to do?" She looked over to Arthur as she spoke, leaning forward to set her cup on the table in front of her. He shook his head without looking up, still guiding the needle through the fabric.

"Not really. There isn't any work for us to do at the moment, though I'm not all too convinced that there will be later today. If you want to go out about the town, you may. You are old enough now." Her heart sank in her chest for a moment as she realized he didn't catch that she wanted to spend time with him but she perked back up shortly after. It would be easier if she just stayed home with him, anyways.

"No. I think I'll be fine staying home today. We have been out an awful lot. I'm sure Poncho is getting lonely, being the only living thing in the house most of the day." Her pet stirred in the corner at the sound of its name, glancing around before deciding that it was too early in the morning for it to be bothered with moving about and responding to anyone's comments.

"Alright then." As she looked closely, Maria saw the hint of a smile tugging at his lips. It made her happy to think that her staying home with him made Arthur smile. She stood and stretched once more before going to her brother's side and softly kissing his cheek.

"I'm going to go finish up something in the study," she said softly. It was honestly a bit of a lie. The only things she could have finished in there was the book she'd gotten yesterday, which she thought to save for the next time it was raining too hard to check the garden without getting drenched. All Maria intended to do was leave him to his embroidery for a little while. While she mentally called it giving him a break she knew that somewhere in her, she just couldn't stand taking up more of his time.

He gave her a little nod, glancing up at her. "I'll be here when you return," he muttered softly. And then he gave her that little grin that made her heart jump. She hid it behind one of her smiles and turned from him, walking quickly. _For being my hero_, she thought as she ducked into the study, _he sure knows how to get me into trouble._


End file.
